Process of increasing the density of fusible explosive nitro substances.



cumsr innint Breast, or HAMBURG, Giannini, ASSiGNCiit To 1 DU roNT E nEMouRs rownEn conrauy, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, aeonronaiion OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification a was recent;

, irnocnssorincnnn sme THE DENSITY or FITSEBLE ExP osIvE Nrrno SUBSTANCES.

Jenn...

Patented June '15, 1909.

Application filed August 30,1906. Serial in. 532,673.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known" that I, CHRISTIAN EMIL BICHEL, a citizen and resident of Hamburg,

in the German Em ire, have invented a cer= tam new and us'efu- Improved Process of Th creasing the Density of Fusible Explosive,

Nitro Substances, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved process of increasing the density of i'usibie explosive nitro substances.

in order to place greater amounts or charges of ex )losives into shells, mines, torpedoes and the like, it may be desirable to increase as much as possible-the density of the fusible explosive nitro substances adapted for the said purpose. In fusing or melting nitro. substances, such as trinitrotoluol, trinitrophenol (picric acid), nitronaphthalene or analogous substances under ordinary atmospheric ressure the trinitrotoluol has a.

density of a out 1.55, the picric acid of about 1.62 and. the nit-r0-naphthalene 0 about 1.23. i a

The present invention consists in subjecting the fused or molten explosive nitro substance or substances during the solidification to the action of compressed air or another suitable indifferent pressure medium, for example, such as carbonic acid, nitrogen, &c., in order to density or condense the saidexplosive nitro substances in the desired degreel It has been-found by experlments that? by melting 3. nitro substance of the kind mentioned and by putting the mold or molds into which the molten Iiitro substa-nce'has been poured, singly or united inseries or groups, into a closed room, receptacle or chamber adapted to be rarefied or stored with compressed air having a pressure of some atmospheres, the said nitro substance will receive-according tothe height of the air pressure a plied a higher or greater density' The ensity Wlll be increased, par ticularly when. the air or air bubbles containcd in the said nitro substance are removed by suction, before'the pressure medium .is allowed-to act upon the nitro substance to becondensed. I

By applying the im roved process the density of trinitrotoluo is increased from 1.55 to 1.58, when only atmospheric pressure is allowed to act upon the molten explosive after its evacuation. If however an an presn'F two atmospheres is employed the deisity of trinitrotoluol increases to 1.60, an atmospheres to L62. (Undersuch pressure the density of picric acid can be increased from 1.62 to 1.67 whereas the density of nitro-naphthalene is raised from 1.23 to 1.32. From a further increase of the ressure, say above four atmospheres, .there id not result any material increase of the density exce t in large bulks of molten nitro substances. it has been proved, however,- that by a quick coolin of the molten. nitro substance a finer crystalline structure and at the same time still a somewhat increased density may be obtained.

The cooling of the fusible nitro substance by'using an air pressure of two to three may be effected while under pressure by inserting the mold or molds into cold water or into another suitable cooling medium.

lr'or carrying my improved process into practice I have shown in the accompanying sheet of drawing a sectional view -of an apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention.

The molten explosive substance is cured into suitablecartrid e shells ordirectiy into the explosive chanibers of the projectiles which are placed in a receptacle or cylinder a adapted to be closed hermetically. The receptacle a may be directly connected to the pressure conduit and also to the suction conduit, and may be put directly intothe cooling water or surrounded by an outer'casmg or ample water, may be circu ated through the between theinner receptacle a and the b; the body of water around the space outer casing receptacle a practically. forming a cooling jacket. The cover a of therreceptacle is re vided with a neck or tube d to WlllCh a exible hose 8 may be attached in any sultable manner. According to the positions of the valves 'i, k and'l the said hose may be brought into communication with the suction-conduit (1, the pressure-conduit d or the atmosphere. Furthermore it is advantageous to provide in the tube d'or at the end thereof, a valve (1 which is to be closed before the rc moval or disconnection of the hose 8, in order to retain-the pressure in the receptacle during the period of solidification of the molten nitro substance. The receptacle a 1s ar: ranged between -two transverse-beams or plates f and f connected by screw bolts e and or hand-wheel h.-

e. The up er plate f is r'ovided with a threaded ho c or perforation or an externally threaded hollow spindle g slid over the tube d and provided at its 11 per end with a handle y screwing down the s indle g the cover 0 may be pressed a ainst t 1e upper rim or edge of the receptac e and the latter with its lower edge or run against the bottom plate f, in order to procure thus a hermetical joint at the top and. bottom of the receptacle. Washers w and w serve to increase such hermetical connection. A certain number of such receptacles may be united in any convenient manner, if desired, to form a series or battery.

I claim:

Process of increasing the density of fusible.

, I I y I explosive mtro substances, which comprises a melting the substances, then exhausting air therefrom while melted, applying pressure sufficient to increase the densit thereof by CHRISTIAN EMIL BICHEL.

Witnesses:

Max A. G. LEMCKE, IDA HAFERMANN. 

